She felt his chuckle through her whole body.
“Yeah? Thanks.”
She smacked his butt then ruined it by chuckling. “Was it good for you too?”
“Well, I didn’t see heaven.”
She reached for his butt again.
“I saw the entire universe.”
She laughed as much as she could while buried by six feet of thoroughly satisfied male. “Good save.”
He lifted his head. She wondered at the look on his face. It was sweet, tender and very open.
She wondered if this was good timing for a declaration. Since she’d never gotten to this point in any other relationship, she was unsure. And am I really sure of what I saw in his eyes?
“Do you play poker?”
He smiled. “Strip poker? It’s a little late for that.”
“Har har. I was just going to say you shouldn’t. Your face gives everything away.”
“Uh, okay.”
She wiggled to a sitting position. He moved to the side and watched as she covered her lower half with the sheet.
“See? I can tell you’re disappointed that I covered up.”
“Of course I’m disappointed. I am a man.”
“I see your point.”
He turned and leaned against the headboard. He didn’t bother with the sheet.
“I know I’m doing this is out of order,” she said. “I’m supposed to wait for you to say it first. But I think I saw it.”
He blinked. “I think we both pretty much saw everything.”
She grinned. “We did. And I like everything I saw.”
He grinned back. “Me too.”
“But I’m talking about something I think I saw on your face, in your eyes.”
He frowned. “Yeah?” The frown deepened. “What do you think you saw?”
Embarrassed now, she hesitated.
“I’d like to hear what you think you saw on my face.”
“I love you.”
The frown remained. The silence lengthened.
“You saw that you love me on my face.”
She shifted her legs but he beat her to his feet. He stepped away from the bed. He kept his back to her. Her stomach sank like a hound dog who’d been caught with his head in the garbage can.
“It’s okay, Brand.”
“Hold it, just hold it a minute.” Still turned away from her, he reached down, grabbed his shorts and pulled them up as he turned back to her. She wanted to laugh when he tucked himself inside the shorts narrowly missing a beheading, but she was too close to crying.
She’d assumed. Thought she knew what he was thinking. Jumped the gun. And every other useless cliché that fit the situation. He obviously didn’t love her no matter what she thought she’d seen on his face.
“Look, you don’t have to—”
He pointed a finger at her. “Just give me a minute.”
Incensed now, she kicked her legs free and got to her feet. “If you need a minute then there’s nothing to say.”
“Oh, no? You get to say what you want but I can’t say what I want?”
Now standing, naked, she wished she’d already gotten her shirt on or had stayed on the bed. “Go ahead then.”
He cocked his head at her. Grabbing a button down shirt of his own, he walked over to her. “I think you want to cover up a little.”
Accepting the shirt, she shrugged it on. “Already tired of looking—”
His hands bracketed her face as his lips met hers. He kissed her like there was no tomorrow. But the desperation in his kiss hinted that there may be a tomorrow or two to come.
He broke the kiss but still cupped her face.
“You thought you saw my love for you on my face, and in my eyes. You’re right. You did see it. I wanted to say it. I just wanted to give you time to forgive me. I wanted to give myself every chance of hearing you say it back.”
He broke into a smile. “I love you, Dixie Rose.”
“You love me?” She wondered if her head would ever stop spinning.
“I love you.” He gave her a smacking kiss. “Aren’t you going to say it back to me?”
“I love you so much.”
Since that was settled, and all her organs were back where they belonged, she figured this was a good time to teach her boy some manners. “Sit down.”
“Why?”
She put her hand on his chest and pushed. He plopped onto the edge of the bed. “Because I said so.”
His grin was mischievous. “I like it rough every once in a while.”
She smiled and shook her head. “You need some training.” She watched his grin fade away.
“You don’t have to train all of me, Dixie Rose. Just my heart.”
She slid onto his lap. “I use the reward system.”
“Mmm. Sounds good.”
“Say it again,” she said.
“I love you.”
Laughing, she kissed him. “First lesson is, you don’t have to say it first, just say it often.”
Excerpt from Cash Wallace’s book:
It was too early. He knew it was too early but his sister had always been the early-to-bed type.
When the half-dressed man opened the door, Cash realized if Dixie Rose had been early to bed, she’d been kept up late by this man. He rolled back the urge to punch and transferred all the aggravation to clenching his jaw. Which made it difficult to speak.
“I’m looking for Dixie Rose.”
“Huh? Oh! Dixie. You must be her brother, Cash.” The man with the bare chest and unzipped pants opened the door wider to let him pass.
“Yeah. That’d be me.” Cash swiveled effectively reversing their positons. That put the half-naked guy practically outside. “And you are . . .?”
Cash watched realization wash over the man’s face. First it was questioning, then surprise as he looked over his shoulder out the door, then amusement as he turned back.
“That’s a neat trick,” he said. “Dixie Rose told me you were sneaky. But I’m not actually outside.”
“Yet,” Cash stated reaching for the door.
“Cash! You’re here!”
He could do nothing but turn to catch his baby sister as she threw herself at him. Grinning, he spun her in a circle while she laughed out loud.
“You’re early. Did you meet Brand? Did you say hello to Blues?”
“Slow down, girl. You’re gonna spoil the milk.” He set her on her feet before him.
“Ugh.” She tapped him on the chest. “You know I hate those farmisms.”
“Tough. Yes, I’m early. No I didn’t meet your new dog, and I didn’t know where Blues was.” He tilted his head. “But I hear him.”
She frowned at him. Uh-oh.
“I don’t have a new dog.” She reached around him and pulled the half-naked guy inside and closed the door. Hanging onto his hand, she gave him a funny look. “What were you doing out there?”
“I—”
“Oh, never mind,” she said waving a hand. “Brand, this is my brother, Cash Wallace.
Cash, this is Brand.”
Cash lifted an eyebrow. “Dixie, if you needed money, all you had to do was call me. You did not have to take in a boarder.”
“Cash! Brand’s not a boarder.”
“Brand’s not a name. It’s something you burn on the back end of a cow.” He let his big brother glare settle on the half-naked guy. It didn’t seem to intimidate him though. The sucker just grinned and draped his naked arm around Dixie’s shoulders. “Name’s Brandtley, Brand to my friends.”
“I gather I can call you Brandtley.”
“No. You can call me Brand. After all, we’re going to be brothers-in-law.”
Cash scoffed. “In order to be brothers-in-law . . .” His gaze bounced to Dixie, back to Brand and back to Dixie.
“You obviously haven’t spoken to mother in a few days,” Dixie said with a grin.
“No, I, uh . . .” He shook his head. Thought back. He paced away from the happy
couple, paced back. “You’re getting married?”
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